R3 AM21: No Future Without Education: Facing Inequalities through Rights and Participation

When discussing politics, we often reflect on the past, we analyse the present,
and we envision a better future. However, in attempting to build this future,
insufficient attention is paid to the basics, education and participation,
thereby overlooking the material conditions in which children and young people
develop. Across Europe, they are still not granted full access to the necessary
means to thrive, both individually and collectively.

Education systems in Europe are not failing by accident: they are shaped by
political choices. Insufficient and uneven funding, unequal access, disparities
in educational standards across neighbourhoods, persistent social exclusion and
the growing commodification of education reflect systemic priorities that place
capitalist market logic above social justice and education. At the same time,
these political decisions impede students from acquiring valuable knowledge for
human development, including sexuality, emotional well-being, and democratic
participation.

The first problem is that education can function both as a driver of inequality
and as its most powerful remedy. Nonetheless, it currently reproduces existing
social hierarchies. Whilst formal access to education is widely guaranteed
across Europe, it remains deeply unequal in practice. Students from wealthier
backgrounds benefit from structural advantages, such as private extra tuition,
supportive learning environments and access to modern technological devices that
enhance their learning, while others face systemic barriers that limit their
opportunities and prospects from an early age.

Addressing these inequalities requires going beyond the classroom. In this
sense, access to extracurricular activities, such as sports, arts, or language
learning plays a key role in cognitive development, social integration, mental
wellbeing and, ultimately, in the students' future. However, these opportunities
are increasingly shaped by purchasing power, effectively excluding children from
unprivileged backgrounds from spaces essential to their personal and social
development, reinforcing class-based inequalities across generations.

A second problem is the lack of education on key aspects such as diversity,
environmental and social values, and sex education. Against the far-right
narrative that education must be reserved exclusively for parents, we argue that
schools must not only teach knowledge and skills but also shape humans who can
form a better society in co-education with parents. Inclusion and respect of all
kinds of diversity are not fostered in all centers. Sex education and education
on sexual diversity are still not widely implemented over the EU, and faces a
conservative push against it. For instance, a recent policy under the Meloni
government in Italy sought to ban sex education, ultimately restricting it to
requiring parental consent. Sex education should be accessible to all and from a
young age, starting with emotional awareness and consent, respecting each other
and ourselves to give children the ability to communicate better and be
respectful with each other.

A third issue is the lack of history education on recent developments and the
origins of other countries and cultures. To better understand our society and
the culture of every country, it would be vital to include the histories of
native peoples worldwide. Focusing mainly on European history and neglecting
native people‘s way of life leads to harmful and biased thinking. Addressing
this requires teaching democratic values and respect for different cultures and
origins.

A fourth issue is the lack of education on climate change in close connection
with social justice. It is essential to teach children about nature,
sustainability and respect for our planet and its fragile ecosystem to
understand how nature and climate connect to social and climate justice. The
lack of contact with nature among urban kids is also a health and education
absence that must be solved.

A fifth issue is the persistent educational disparity between rural and urban
areas across Europe. Students in rural regions often face limited access to
specialised teachers, essential infrastructure, libraries, laboratories, and
internet. Extracurricular activities such as sports clubs or arts programmes are
scarce or absent, restricting both cognitive and social development.
Furthermore, rural schools struggle to attract and retain qualified teachers due
to their remote location, leading to higher staff turnover and interruptions in
learning continuity. The lack of reliable public transport exacerbates these
inequalities, forcing students to travel long distances to attend school. Across
Europe, these structural barriers create a tangible gap in educational outcomes
and future prospects between rural and urban students (without prejudice to the
latter and the structural short of investment in them), reinforcing generational
inequalities shaped by one’s dwelling.

A sixth issue is the working conditions of teachers, which affects the quality
of education. Many educators are underpaid and face high workloads, leading to
stress and a decline in educational quality. Having overburdened teachers with
less time for lesson planning and student support affects learning outcomes.
Teachers play a huge role in our system, and many issues have to be solved
through broader family and work-life balance policies.

Lastly, education is not only about what is taught, but also about who has the
power to shape decisions afterwards. Young people, despite being the primary
subjects of education systems and deeply affected by political decisions, are
still largely excluded from participation in governance. In around half of all
European countries, student unions, youth councils and youth parliaments lack a
solid legal basis, stable funding, and institutional recognition, reducing
participation to a symbolic exercise dependent on political goodwill. This is
not a failure of youth engagement, but of democratic structures that concentrate
decision-making power and fail to ensure accountability when young people’s
input is ignored. Without enforceable guarantees, inclusive access, and
mechanisms that ensure follow-up and real impact, participation risks
reproducing existing inequalities and undermining trust in democratic
institutions. Ensuring that all young people have a legally recognised,
adequately resourced, and genuinely influential role in shaping policies is
therefore essential to building more a democratic and equitable future.

We call for attention to the uneven provision of education across Europe,
including disparities in resources, extracurricular opportunities, teacher
conditions, and gaps in instruction on diversity, social values, sexual
education, climate, and social justice. These factors shape learning
environments and determine students’ acquisition of the knowledge and skills
necessary for personal growth and active participation in society.

CALL TO ACTION:

We call on the Council of Europe, European Union institutions, Member states and
regional governments to:

• Invest in teacher training, affordable and high-quality school materials,
  and reduced student-teacher ratios.

• Ensure fair remuneration for teachers without unjustified disparities in
  line with national and regional contexts, alongside continuous training on
  diversity, history, climate and social justice, while protecting teachers’
  access to unions.

• Guarantee youth participation in governance as a right, anchored in law
  through independent legally recognized youth representation bodies
  (student unions, youth parliaments, youth councils), adequate resources,
  inclusive access, and mandatory accountability in decision-making
  processes.

• Ensure the effective implementation of these rights through binding
  frameworks, including minimum standards for representation, stable public
  funding, legally recognized consultation on relevant policies and budgets,
  and clear obligations for public authorities to respond to and justify
  decisions in relation to youth input.

• Reform assessment systems by replacing traditional grading with fair and
  holistic evaluations that reflect students’ actual learning and
  development.

• Encourage assessment systems that support inclusive, fair and student-centred learning and development.

• Remove grade-based barriers to scholarships and traineeships to ensure
  students’ achievement of their full potential and professional
  aspirations. Use an alternative selection method such as applications
  based on motivation letters and an exam that doesn’t require specific
  preparation to avoid punishing disadvantaged students who cannot
  exclusively dedicate to studying.

• Create public, high-quality distance and flexible education for people who
  work at the same time they study at the same cost as in-person public
  degrees

• Provide funding for low-income candidates preparing civil service exams
  for top positions in public administrations, as they are usually covered
  by people from a privileged background, fueling inequality and causing
  institutions to be less representative of society.

• Ban unpaid internships and ensure curricular internships do not involve
  costs for students.

• Promote collaboration between schools across regions and countries. Allow
  children from low income families to access EU mobility and educational
  programmes such as Erasmus.

• Increase EU and Council of Europe funding for Erasmus+ activities and
  other kinds of short educational activities that help promote EU values,
  protection of the environment, human rights, etc.

• Fund extracurricular activities, including sports, arts, and language
  learning, to ensure equal access regardless of socioeconomic background.

• Address rural-regional disparities with tools such as the European
  Regional Development Funds, allocating resources to marginalised rural
  areas to reduce gaps in access and learning outcomes.

• Revise history curricula to avoid justification of previous crimes against
  human rights and prevent colonial views.

• Adapt schools to climate change by favoring natural presence around them
  to tackle rising temperatures and protect kids from excessive air
  pollution. Guarantee schools are well-equipped to be a safe and healthy
  learning environment which fosters well-being.